surprise..kind of

"Why would you do this?" Allie looked Cory over as if he should not have made Sunday night dinner a date night.

"I couldn't help it." Cory shrugged. "I thought..maybe Manny needed some help."

"Why would he need help, huh?" Allie gave Cory the evil eye as if maybe Cory wanted this Emily for himself.

"Don't even go there." Cory eyeballed her right back.

"Is she your work wife?" Allie wanted to know.

"No." Now Cory laughed. "This is not like that. She seems really nice. She just broke up with her boyfriend. Maybe..maybe she just needs some friends. OK?"

Allie sighed at that as she placed the table setting.

"What's this?" Manny asked as he came up from the basement. "We expecting company?"

"Just a friend from Cory's work." Allie shrugged as if it were nothing, but she eyed Cory once more.

"She ..she needed some cheering up." Cory explained as the doorbell rang. "Manny, I'm definitely going to need your help." He said on the way to get the door.

Naturally, Manny looked back at Allie sheepishly. "I'm not a clown? What's he talking about?"

Allie went to get the roasted chicken. She supposed it would be the baby who'd have to entertain this friend of Cory's. She wasn't banking on Manny to do anything.